This long weekend, I joined dear friends at the coast, near where Oregon and California meet. We thought we were far enough from the weeks-long smoldering Chetco Bar fire. Nope. We experienced hazy and smoky days, forcing us to keep our kids inside as much as possible. Then we drove home.

The whole way north, through the Oregon we love, from the Redwood Highway to Portland…In towns like Springfield and Rice Hill, we could barely even see beyond the highway.

To break up our drive and give our daughter some exercise, we planned to stop at a park. No way. The healthy choice? A McDonald’s PlayPlace in Roseburg, where the air stung our eyes on the walk from the car to the door.

Oregon – all that we saw, from coast to valley, south to north, is hot, dry, and on fire – some of the hottest, driest, and smokiest conditions in recorded history. After awhile, I just could not look out the windows anymore.

We talk about climate change all of the time at OLCV. We talk about it in the future tense a lot. I don’t think we get to do that anymore. You know, in your heart and mind, that this is what climate change looks like in Oregon. Hotter and drier summers. More wildfires.

Now, it is clearly time to take action. To do something. To join the fight, or double down if you are already with us. Fires here, hurricanes and historic floods in the opposite part of the country. Records around the world, all pointing to a significant disruption in our climate. If not now, when?

These fires aren’t a problem that can be solved by our hardworking firefighters. It’s one that requires us to invest in long-term, systemic changes. Which is why we’re fighting for the Clean Energy Jobs bill.

Please join me in doing something today. We at OLCV have the job of holding elected officials accountable for their inaction in addressing climate change. We know that they delay to protect corporate profits. Now, that clearly means putting corporate profits ahead of public health in rural and urban Oregon alike.

Our emergency responders and firefighters are keeping people safe and working to control wildfires all over the west. Now, let’s have their backs – let’s make sure that we start moving in the right direction rather than continuing to make the problem worse and worse and worse.

This weekend, I feel like a glimpsed a future. It’s a future that scares me. And I want to do everything I can now to work to stop it. Thank you for standing with us.